A report says that the state has the resources and the infrastructure to be at the leading edge of growth in the international advanced biofuels and biobased chemicals industries.
Business + Economy
The winners of the 27th annual Governor's International Trade Awards were announced at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Export Initiative luncheon in Minneapolis.
Production has ramped up at the mill, which resumed production in August, and the owners are aggressively cultivating more business.
The Chanhassen-based direct marketing services provider is consolidating operations at various U.S. facilities and boosting production at its facilities in Chanhassen and Hamburg, Pennsylvania; meanwhile, the company plans to hire more than 60 in Chanhassen.
A new analysis suggests that the economic benefits of a proposed high-speed rail between Rochester and the Twin Cities could "easily exceed both the initial capital cost and the long-term operating cost of the proposed project."
The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system will ask the state's businesses which jobs are available now-and which openings they project for the future-so that it can align its education programs with those needs and better prepare students to join the state's work force.
Minnesota has regained 81,400 jobs since the recovery began-representing more than half of the 156,300 jobs that were lost during the recession.
Wellesley, Massachusetts-based Stream Global Services already has some corporate staff members-including its CEO-working out of a temporary Bloomington office.
The Shakopee amusement park-which is open from May through October-hires about the same number of people on a seasonal basis every year.
Minnesota companies sent $702 million worth of products to South Korea last year, and the state now stands to benefit from a free trade agreement that will eliminate most tariffs on goods exported there.
The Twin Cities North Chamber of Commerce, which advocates for the interests of businesses in the northern metro area, described the process of selecting a site for a new Vikings stadium as "unorthodox, unfair, and convoluted."
The City of Minneapolis released data that show signs of economic recovery in the city; trends include a decline in the rate of unemployment, an increase in construction volume, and a decrease in the number of foreclosures.
Longtime State Demographer Tom Gillaspy will be succeeded by Susan Brower, who served as research associate for the Wilder Foundation before joining the state demographer's staff last summer.
The state's employment-driven by the private sector-continued to grow in January; still, government jobs continued their decline, and some of the drop in unemployment may be attributed to decreased labor force participation.
The Minneapolis Downtown Council said that Hennepin County Commissioner Mark Stenglein will join the organization as its new president and CEO; Stenglein will succeed longtime leader Sam Grabarski, who is retiring.
A just-released state report shows that Minnesota employers reported 49,900 job openings during the fourth quarter of 2011, about 53 percent of which were for full-time, permanent positions.
The southwest Twin Cities suburb will have three companies-Imagine! Print Solutions, SanMar Corporation, and Trystar-constructing facilities in the near future, which will bring in hundreds of jobs.
Interest in the tax credit appears to be strong this year as well; $1.7 million of the $12 million available for 2012 has already been allocated.